IB Theory of Knowledge - an ongoing list of interesting finds

Want to get up close and personal with famous artwork? Want to zoom in closer to van Gogh's "Starry Night" than any protective art collector would allow? Wishing you could tour rooms of famous museums from the comfort of your own laptops? Mr. Weatherell showed me this site where you can do each of these things and more!  Google has a wide range of virtual artistic and cultural exhibits on this website for those who need an immersion in the Arts (or an RLS for, say, an upcoming TOK assessment!) Google Arts & Culture

This piece presents the thoughts of professor AC Grayling on the "post-truth" campaign trend and why it is so controversial.  Grayling blames part of the trend on the 2008 financial crisis and "warns of the "corruption of intellectual integrity" and damage to "the whole fabric of democracy." The article also delves into the narcissism of social media and the problems that arise now that everyone can publish their opinions on the internet and that there seems to be an "online culture that can't distinguish between fact and fiction." What does post-truth mean for a philosopher?

In this 2008 talk, digital artist Chris Jordan illustrates what he sees as a problem in the United States - a "kind of anesthesia" where people are ignoring significant social issues and have seemingly lost their "sense of outrage...anger and...grief" about concerning cultural patterns. Using graphics, Jordan presents a series of supersized images that illustrate the "reality" of the enormous statistics and data surrounding these problematic patterns (numbers that we simply cannot imagine or comprehend). Through his art, he attempts to present the data in "a more universal language, that can be felt"  in order to evoke emotion and emphasize the dire need for social change. Turning powerful stats into art

As populations rise, and technology increases in terms of pervasiveness, so do algorithms become more and more used within society. This article looks at what they are, and the way in which they are being used. From the controversial "predictive policing" using compiled crime statistics over time, to influence on the stock market, from dating websites, to predicting hit records or influencing retail marketing, this article explores the methods through which we are making use of the plethora of data now available to us.  Dr Ian Brown, the associate director of Oxford University's Cyber Security Centre, says "We now spend so much of our time online that we are creating huge data-mining opportunities." How algorithms rule the world

"Historic buildings in the Islamic world are often covered with breathtakingly intricate geometric designs. Both artists and mathematicians have long puzzled over them, wondering how the patterns were created. Now, a Harvard physicist has some new ideas about the designs and the advanced math behind them." Complex patterns like this one, found in the archway of a Turkish mosque, were created by Islamic artisans in the 1400s. A pattern from a Turkish mausoleum, circa 1200 C.E. A reconstruction of the tile templates is overlaid at the bottom. Medieval Mosques Illuminated by Math

In his piece, published in The Guardian, photojournalist Souvid Datta visits refugee camps, the front line, and spends time with Yazidi female fighters.  An insightful look at the effects of ongoing conflict via an artistic storytelling medium. Consider how images and their accompanying captions such as these help to shape the common understanding (shared knowledge) of these events and how they help to shape personal knowledge of the world around us. Photo Essay   (excerpts below) Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers unleash heavy tank fire on Isis fighters lurking in the remains of a recently liberated town near the Khazir river. Kurdish Yazidi women from the Sun Force battalion train in Snuny, near the Syrian border. Two years ago, many of these women were abducted by Isis and kept as sex-slaves during the systematic massacre Isis perpetrated against the Yazidi people. On their escape they enlisted within the Peshmerga's growing minority of female forces, preparing to fi...

In this feature article, Forbes tackles the Fake News phenomenon, having been inspired by the viral story about a Santa Claus actor who held a dying child in his armsb - a powerful holiday story.  As "some of the world’s most prestigious and reputable news outlets took a moment this week to carry the heartwarming story," including CNN, BBC, the Washington Post, and NBC , and ran them alongside articles that highlight to citizens that they need to verify information to protect themselves from "fake news," the article poses questions about these reputable publications and the irresponsibility of reporting . An important question is brought up about the justifications offered after the fact - that it really was the fault of the publication who published the original story, as they should have done the fact-checking, or the "due diligence," themselves. The others simply assumed the story had already been verified, but the concerning result is that via what...